Austro-Belgian Treaty of 1836

The Austro-Belgian Treaty of 1836 was a document signed between Belgium and the Austrian Empire on 1 January 1836, allying the two countries.

History
After gaining independence from the Netherlands, Belgium became a satellite of the United Kingdom, but it was still at risk of a Dutch invasion to reclaim the region. On 1 January 1836, King Leopold I of Belgium sent his dignitaries Claude van Wyck and Henryk van Severen to negotiate a treaty of alliance with Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria, his counterpart in the Austrian Empire. In need of an ally in Western Europe, - France was hostile to them - Austria decided to sign the treaty, and the two countries became allies. The Austrian Empire assisted the Belgians in their struggles to maintain their independence from the Dutch by declaring war on the Netherlands when the Dutch invaded Belgium, although they offered token assistance, as they were far from the Netherlands and Belgium, and they were focused on annexing Schleswig-Holstein from the Kingdom of Denmark alongside Prussia. Nevertheless, Austria's declaration of war on the Dutch allowed the alliance to continue.